KINABATANGAN: Early voting for the Kinabatangan parliamentary and Lamag state by-elections began smoothly, Tuesday, with the Election Commission (EC) assuring voters that all logistical and security preparations are firmly in place despite weather challenges.
EC Chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun said a total of 189 early voters, comprising officers and personnel from the Kinabatangan district police headquarters, were eligible to cast their ballots at the early voting centre located at the district police headquarters.
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“As of 9am, 38 voters, or about 20.1pc, had already cast their votes. The early voting centre will close at 5pm,” he told reporters after inspecting the process.
Ramlan clarified that the total number of eligible early voters at the centre was 189, while the additional ballots referred to earlier were postal votes, all of which were processed at the same location.
On weather conditions, he said the commission was mindful of the ongoing rainy season, which could pose challenges on polling day on Jan 24.
“Weather conditions have been unpredictable recently. We hope voters remain aware of the situation and monitor updates, and, if possible, come out earlier to vote, as weather conditions tend to worsen later in the day,” he said.
Ramlan said EC had adjusted operational plans in response to lessons learned from previous incidents, citing a case in Kuamut where ballot boxes could not be airlifted from a polling centre due to poor weather.
“In that instance, we brought forward the closing time of the polling centre from 3pm to 2pm to ensure ballot boxes could be transported out earlier. We want to avoid a repeat of such situations,” he said.
He added that polling centres in remote areas would be closely monitored, with adjustments made where necessary to ensure ballot boxes could be transported safely to counting centres.
Based on the distances involved and the locations of polling stations, Ramlan said the Election Commission expected results to be concluded at 10pm on polling day.
On voter turnout, he said the EC had intensified awareness efforts through social media and other platforms to encourage voters to fulfil their civic duty.
“We hope turnout can at least match the previous level of about 65pc and, if possible, exceed that,” he said, adding that the voter demographic appeared fairly balanced between younger and older voters.
Ramlan said no official reports of election offences had been received as of Tuesday night, although he acknowledged that one complaint had been lodged earlier in the day and was still being reviewed.
“Overall, the election process so far has been orderly, smooth and well-controlled, with no serious incidents,” he said.
